How to give dawah

This lecture explained by Tarek Haqq explores how to give Dawah to atheists by appealing to logic, rational inquiry, and universal moral intuition. Using the structured GORAP method: God’s Existence, Oneness, Revelation, and Prophethood. This lecture equips you with tools to guide meaningful conversations without relying on subjective experiences or hypotheticals. Instead, we focus on what can be objectively demonstrated in the real world.

Key notes:

We Don’t Live by Hypotheticals

People don’t live their lives based on endless “what ifs.” We live based on what we experience, and we observe that humans have built-in morals. These morals are not random. They align closely with what Islam promotes. When giving Dawah, highlight that Islam offers a coherent moral framework, far superior to secular relativism.

Appeal to Objective Reality, Not Subjective Experience.

When proving the existence of God, don’t argue from personal feelings or mystical moments. Stick to what’s logically necessary and objectively observable. Press them with hard logic. This is about what is, not just “what you feel.”

Use the GORAP Framework

God’s Existence
Oneness of God
Revelation (the need for guidance)
Prophethood (proof Muhammad ﷺ is the Messenger of Allah)

This structure gives your Dawah direction and avoids scattered debates.

Argument from the Quran – Did They Come from Nothing?

Allah says in the Quran:
“Were they created by nothing, or were they themselves the creators?”
(Surah At-Tur 52:35)
Ask the atheist: Can something come from nothing?
Nothing = The absence of anything. No space, no time, no matter, no energy.
Logically:
0 + 0 + 0 = 0. Always.
If nothing existed, then nothing would exist now. Therefore, something must have always existed.

Could They Have Created Themselves?

Another absurdity: Can something bring itself into existence?
That would mean it existed before it existed. A logical impossibility.

The Death of the Steady State Theory

1. Some atheists claimed the universe had no beginning. That was the Steady State Theory. But this was refuted by the Big Bang Theory, which proved the universe did have a beginning.

2. If the universe had a beginning, it must have a cause, but the universe cannot cause itself.

What Caused the Universe?

The cause of the universe must be:
Uncaused
Timeless
Not bound by physical laws
All-powerful
All-knowing
These are the attributes of Allah.

Conclusion: Point Them to Revelation and Prophethood

Once they acknowledge a Creator, ask:
Would this Creator leave us unguided?

2. This leads to revelation and the necessity of Prophets. Culminating in proof that Muhammad ﷺ is the final Messenger with the Quran as the preserved word of God.